Friday Five: Rachel Brooke

Juli Thanki | April 26th, 2013

We heard so many different influences on Rachel Brooke’s newest album, A Killer’s Dream, that, during our interview with the singer-songwriter, we couldn’t help but ask her to make a mini-playlist of the music she listened to the most while writing and recording the album.

5. Howlin’ Wolf, “Back Door Man”

“Going into recording A Killer’s Dream, I knew that I wanted a fuller sound. I’d listen to Howlin’ Wolf and go, ‘That’s what I want.’ He had a lot to do with the way the record turned out.”

4. Jimmie Rodgers, “I’m Lonely and Blue”

“I grew up listening to mostly bluegrass and old country. In high school, I played in a punk band, but when I was about 18 or 19, I drifted back to bluegrass and country music. Jimmie Rodgers is one of my favorites.”

3. The Cookies, “Don’t Say Nothin’ Bad (About My Baby)”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7q0T7zWDqlE

2. Fats Domino, “Every Night About This Time”

“This is my favorite Fats Domino song. It’s usually one of the first songs I play at a show because it’s a good warm up for me and the band. It sets the mood and is also in the perfect key for my voice, so we put it on the record.”

1. Bessie Smith, “I’m Down in the Dumps”

“I had been listening to a lot of blues and jazz when I worked on A Killer’s Dream. There was a lot of Bessie Smith in there, but this is the one I listened to most.”

Juli Thanki is the editor of Engine 145 and a freelance writer whose work has appeared in the Washington Post, Bluegrass Unlimited, and M Music & Musicians Magazine. In 2011 she received the International Bluegrass Music Association Print Media Person of the Year award.